UP-TO-DATE LITTER NEWS AND VIDEOS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!

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** Our Litter Prevention Program receives boost from Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaperIn her column, "Trash Talk", writer Ellen Moorhouse brings the issue of litter to the surface and gives our program a great plug.

Cornwall risks losing some of its best loved marine wildlife because of litter (December 1, 2012)The Return To Offender initiative from the group Surfers Against Sewage is an activity designed to help individuals and communities confront businesses with items of litter found on UK beaches, asking them to take specific actions, return found items to the manufacturers, for example.

England: Hammersmith/Fulham Council launches an app to catch the litter bugs (November 30, 2012)The free app will allow users to take a photo of litter, graffiti or fly-tops on any public land and send their findings directly to the council, with the exact location sent by GPS signal.

People in Brentwood, England will face £75 fines for dropping litter in town (November 29, 2012)“We will come down on you like a tonne of bricks”, politician vows. Tougher measures to combat litterbugs were agreed at the last meeting of the council's environment panel earlier this month.

Toronto Council kills plastic bag ban (November 28, 2012) Staff to report in June 2013 on measures to reduce plastic bag use. The City of Toronto had won international gold awards for its action on plastic bags. Watch the amount of plastic bag litter increase again in Canada's largest city as a result of this decision.

Residents await decision on city litter bins petition in Chorley, UK (November 28, 2012) More than 1,500 residents who signed a petition calling for the return of litterbins controversially axed amid council cash cuts will find out next week whether their campaign has succeeded.

Folkestone litter enforcement officers act entirely within the law say council (November 28, 2012)“The solution is simple, of course. If people didn’t drop litter – and cigarette butts are litter – they wouldn’t get fined.”

From trash to treasure: Everest litter becomes art (November 26, 2012) "Everest is our crown jewel in the world. We should not take it for granted. The amount of trash there is damaging our pride," official says of project to spread awareness about keeping Mount Everest clean.

Barrie, Ontario: “Think before you toss your trash,” says letter to the editor (November 25, 2012)Reaction to Toronto Sun's opinion piece by veteran journalist, Christina Blizzard (see near top of this page to read her column.)

‘Send marine litter back to companies who produced it’ (November 21, 2012) Pioneering environmental group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) says it has been forced to take direct action after the amount of marine litter washed up on the sands doubled in 15 years. To get involved and find out how to return litter to manufacturers, click here.

Anti-litter campaign in Ireland rewards use of bins (November 21, 2012) Regional radio group iRadio, along with the Environmental Departments of 12 Local Authorities is launching a major anti-litter promotional campaign. Random bins across these counties will be watched by the undercover iRadio iTeam, who will identify lucky bin users and reward them with €100 in cash.

Singapore raises fines, makes major moves against litter (November 17, 2012)Whistleblowing system for public also being studied; peer pressure to be used"The key theme is to empower ordinary citizens to exert more peer pressure on anti-social persons in order to protect our common spaces." Mr. Vivian BalakrishnanMinister for the Environment and Water Resources

Council declares war against litter louts (November 15, 2012) Efforts to educate the public with a high-profile presence in littering blackspots were dropped in late 2010 because they were having little effect.

Islington Council makes up to £187,000 from litter fines: UK (November 15, 2012) “The best way to keep the cost down, given the government cuts, is to stop people littering in the first place. That is why those who do the wrong thing get a fine,” says official.

San Jose has a problem, and recycling is the answer, says local notable (November 15, 2012)Alex Ontiveros wrote this for Mercury News. He is project manager of the San Jose Clean Community Coalition, which includes organizations from the business, industry and Latino communities. (For a list of coalition members, click here.)

One million Scots wanted for biggest-ever clean-up (November 14, 2012)Ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup, in the biggest clean-up operation Scotland has ever seen, organizers hope the scale of public support for the clean-up will encourage a gradual zero-tolerance approach to the dumping of litter and mess.

Litter fines earn town halls over £665,000 as 200 people pay a charge every day (November 11, 2012) A total of 73,536 fines were handed out across Britain last year for dropping rubbish - equivalent to 201 a day

Cigarette litter cleanup to be held Nov. 15 in NY’s East Village (November 10, 2012 In support of the Great American Smokeout the Smoke-free, Multi-Agency, Resource Team (SMART) is having a cigarette butt and trash cleanup to bring attention to the problems of cigarette litter and secondhand smoke around children during recreation.

Zero Litter Footprint Movement launched in Singapore (November 10, 2012)
The South East Community Development Council (CDC) and National Environment Agency (NEA) have introduced a new ground-up initiative.

Plastic ban can hit industry, littering needs urgent attention in India (November 7, 2012)Delhi (both shop owners and residents) would no longer be permitted to manufacture, import, store, sell or transport any form of plastic bag from November 22. The state government through this 'blanket ban' aims to lower the annual plastic waste in the national capital.

Mugshots – What if we did this to people seen littering? (November 3, 2012)The South Carolina newspaper website, goupstate.com, publishes the faces and names of men and women charged with criminal offences. Imagine a site like this strictly publicizing people who litter. The desire to avoid loss or penalty is a strong shaper of behavior, research into littering shows.

Jakarta Sets Out Waste Recycling Policy (November 3, 2012)Recycling is largely unheard of in Indonesia, but this will soon change. Each of its more than 500 cities and districts must now produce a recycling master plan.

Australia: Woorabinda bans plastic bags (November 1, 2012) A central Queensland Indigenous community says litter has become such a problem in the town that cows grazing in nearby paddocks have been eating plastic bags.

Stourbridge litter picker fined . . . for putting rubbish in bins (November 1, 2012) A volunteer litter picker in England, who scooped several accolades for keeping a Black Country town centre tidy, has been accused of dumping waste in street bins.

Smart move by Sweden – power from trash (October 30, 2012)Due to its efficiency in converting waste to renewable energy, Sweden has recently begun importing around 800,000 tons of trash annually from other countries.

Filipino Eco group goes 'Gangnam' against littering during holiday (October 30, 2012) EcoWaste Coalition members don zombie outfits and dance the latest craze as a public reminder against "Zombasura” – being a litterbug.

Tanzania: Unsanitary Urban Slums Worrisome (October 30, 2012) People's attitude towards waste disposal is another headache for authorities. Rubbish, including the now worrisome plastic bags, is discarded anywhere without a care in the world.

Malta: Wrigley Litter Less Campaign – Another opportunity! (October 30, 2012)A detailed explanation of the project from Young Reporters for the Environment in Malta can be downloaded from their site here.

Craigavon at the top for fining litter louts: Northern Ireland (October 26, 2012)“The residents of the borough want to see the streets litter free and with their support we are using the legislation available to us to help tackle the problem,” the director of environmental services says.

In Ohio: “Sign Ninjas”Task force takes aim at 'litter on a stick' (October 25, 2012)Along with the advance notice as well as the ongoing removal of illegally posted signs, a Facebook page has also been created to try to minimize the posting of what some have called "litter on a stick."

Arctic deep-sea litter doubles in last decade (October 24, 2012)Biologist says 70 percent of the litter in some way affects flora and fauna of the seabed, reducing their growth and slowing their reproductive processes. In addition, plastic contains toxins that also affect the environment.

Smoker who threw cigarette butt ordered to pay £353 fine (October 24, 2012)Authorized officers who work for the Wolverhampton city council can issue fixed penalty notices of £60 for any littering offences.

Pet owners rewarded with wifi for picking up dog poo (October 19, 2012)Mexico-based Terra is rewarding walkers that ensure they clean up after their pets with free time online through its Poo Wifi portal.

First Abortion Clinic in Northern Ireland Opens Doors (October 19, 2012)Protesters took an almost gentle approach. Organizers went so far as to urge the group not to litter, or drop their cigarette ends on the sidewalk.

UK: Council £17,000 out of pocket on litter deal (October 17, 2012)Basildon council was left £17,000 out of pocket after a third of the littering fines issued on its behalf by a private company went unpaid.

Copenhagen aims to be the world’s cleanest capital (October 16, 2012)Campaign tests new methods, including “nudging” that seeks to influence behaviour at the expense of traditional information campaigns.

Council to Install New Metal Litter Bins: UK (October 16, 2012)"Streets in the borough are generally clean and tidy but we want more people to be responsible and either put their litter in a bin or take it home,” Councillor says.

Unusual problem of littering in Jurong East (October 8, 2012) Residents living on the higher floors are suspected of throwing their rubbish bags out of their homes, with the litter landing on the nearby trees.

“In which I take pot-shots at litter bugs” (October 7, 2012)Anti-social behaviour - spitting out chewing gum, snacking on the move - makes British columnist feel like sniping. A rant from The Telegraph’s Nigel Farndale.

Garbage girl to clean up Stirling in day of action (October 4, 2012)A woman who has spent the past three-and-a-half years collecting rubbish in northern India is turning her attention to Stirling, Scotland.

Marine litter costs Scotland £17m a year (October 2, 2012)Plastics are the worst threat to the seaside economy and environment, according to the study by Marine Scotland. Plastic makes up 62% of the waste, up from 52%in 1996.

Environmentalist on the warpath over 'disgusting' state of pavements outside British supermarkets (October 2, 2012)The ‘disgusting’ state of her local grocery store has prompted call on all British supermarkets to clean up litter at the front of stores.

Litter Management Plan for 2012 to 2015: Fingal County, Ireland (October 1, 2012)We put this in our ‘best-ever’ category for its attention to every detail as a litter prevention plan. The public has until October 30th to comment.

Hong Kong: Tough action set for rogue moon-gazers (September 29, 2012)Patrols will be stepped up at the department's venues, including parks, public beaches, and barbecue sites from September 29 to October 1.

Anti fly-tip leaflets left at beauty spot (September 25, 2012) Thousands of leaflets which include a message urging people not to toss cigarette butts ("fly-tip") have been found dumped at a beauty spot by volunteers out litter picking, it emerged today.

Irish competition gives thumbs up for the Emo litter control (September 25, 2012)The standard of litter control observed was very high with virtually no litter spotted in the village, according to judges for the annual contest.

Join the Movement for a Litter Free Philly (September 24, 2012) The Philadelphia Streets Department announces UnLitter Us, the first sustained public service campaign to rid our City of litter once and for all.

Man dumped 17 sacks of rubbish at roadside – UK court (September 24, 2012) A litter lout has been taken to court for dumping 17 sacks of rubbish and seven people fined for dropping cigarettes in Carlisle.

Budget shortfall could mean end of Clean Team in Galveston, TX (September 23, 2012)“It’s been a very successful program,” an official said. “They literally picked up well over a million pounds of trash and litter in the last year.”

PennDOT commends volunteers for removing 6.7 million pounds of litter in cleanup effort (September 23, 2012)More than 141,000 volunteers who cleaned 13,589 miles of roads, trails and shorelines in this year's Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania. In 2011, the state agency spent more than $10.6 million for litter pickup with department staff.

Toll-Free Hotline Empowers Citizens To Fight Litter in Their Communities (September 22, 2012)Residents across the state are personally empowered to enforce Arkansas' littering laws, thanks to a toll-free hotline created in 2005 by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department.

North Carolina: Sponsors pay for roadside litter pickup (September 21, 2012)State Department of Transportation is trying to fill a clean-up funding gap with business sponsors who pay for litter removal by the mile.

Nine in 10 in USA Believe It’s Important to Recycle Electronics; Six in 10 Know Where to eCycle (September 20, 2012)Awareness of electronics recycling and locations is on the rise, according to a study released out from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)

Japan: Man explains why he pulled knife on teenagers for littering (September 17, 2012) “Even if the man was justified in his actions, pulling out a knife on a group of kids in a public place is just asking for trouble. Still, you can bet they won’t be throwing their trash around that park anymore.” From ‘Japan Today’

Bag it, Shanghai tells drivers and passengers who litter the streets (September 17, 2012)City began hands out first batch of 120,000 rubbish bags to taxis and private vehicles yesterday in a bid to stop litter being thrown into the street.

Plainclothed cops target litter-louts in Guernsey (September 12, 2012) The island of Guernsey is located in the Bay of St Malo in the English Channel, about 30 miles from the north coast of France and 70 miles from the south coast of England.

Jamaica: 1,600 ticketed for breaching anti-litter law (September 12, 2012)Enforcement and community relations teams are sent into communities to speak to Kingston residents about proper storage and disposal of waste, an approach that is reaping positive results.

In their attempted getaway, California bank robbers litter streets with stolen money during a police pursuit. (September 12, 2012) " ... Footage shot by local news helicopters shows eager people running out into the streets, even in front of speeding police cars, to scoop up as much of it as possible." Evidently this type of litter people can't overlook.

In Wales: Dropping litter from car costs Port Talbot woman £518.64 (September 10, 2012)Council officials have warned of their determination to stamp out littering, after a woman was ordered to pay more than £500 after dropping rubbish from a car.

At the beginning of 2010 The Angling Trust received funding from the Environment Agency to deliver our experimental "Building Bridges" project to help anglers from Eastern Europe understand UK angling laws and customs (including litter prevention).

From Zambia: Legislation on plastic litter to save the environment (August 23, 2012)"According to environmental experts, the situation is so bad because plastic bags and bottles are a more serious threat to future generations to an extent of even being more hazardous than nuclear weapons."

Australian court approves tobacco pack logo ban, grisly warnings (August 2012)Editor's Note: We want tobacco packaging that targets littering as well as health concerns. Plain packaging doesn't do anything to solve the serious problem of cigarette butt litter. Packaging should warn smokers of fines for littering and should instruct them on the proper disposal of used tobacco products.

Keep America Beautiful's cigarette butt litter website, sponsored in part by Big Tobacco, an entity that has long avoided taking full accountability for its littered products. We deliver a more creative and effective program at a mere fraction of the cost.

Italian scientists warn that cigarette butts are so toxic to the environment they should be disposed of under rules governing used batteries and old appliances. Cigarettes butts are poisoning the environment, they say.